John
said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”
Mark 9:38
Mark 9 [35.] He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.” He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”
Mark 9 [38.] John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”
Mark 9 [39.] But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is on our side. For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ’s, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward. Whoever will cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if he were thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around his neck. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, ‘where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched.’
Meaning:
Jesus had just said that whoever receives a little child “in my name” receives him (Mark 9:36-37). The words “in my name” seem to have reminded John of an incident, and he reports it, perhaps expecting praise. The disciples had stopped a man who was driving out demons in Jesus’ name, because he was not one of their group. This is the only time in Mark that John speaks alone, and his words reveal the same spirit of rivalry that had just been exposed in the argument about greatness.
- “John said to him”
John and his brother James were zealous men. Jesus had nicknamed them “Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Later they would ask for the places of honour at Jesus’ side (Mark 10:37). John’s zeal was real, but it was not yet shaped by Jesus’ humility. In time, the “son of thunder” became the apostle who wrote so much about love.
- “We saw someone … casting out demons in your name”
Ironically, this unknown man was succeeding where the disciples had just failed, for they had been unable to drive out the spirit from the boy (Mark 9:17-18). He was acting “in your name,” that is, calling on Jesus’ authority, and it was working. God was clearly at work through him.
- “And we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us”
Notice the words “follow us,” not “follow you.” The disciples’ concern was about their own group and its status. They assumed that only those inside their circle could legitimately serve in Jesus’ name. The same thing had happened in Moses’ day, when two men prophesied in the camp instead of at the Tent of Meeting. Joshua said, “My lord Moses, forbid them!” and Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh’s people were prophets” (Numbers 11:26-29). Jesus will answer John in the same spirit: “Don’t forbid him” (Mark 9:39-41).
The Significance of Mark 9:38
- Beware of a party spirit
Christians can easily confuse loyalty to Jesus with loyalty to their own group, church or tradition. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for this attitude: “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ aren’t you fleshly?” (1 Corinthians 3:4). Jesus calls his followers to rejoice wherever his name is honoured.
- Zeal needs love
John meant well, but his zeal was mixed with pride. Zeal for truth matters, yet it must be shaped by humility and love. The same John who forbade the stranger later became known above all for his teaching on love.
Cross-References:
Numbers 11:28-29: "Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid them!” Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all Yahweh’s people were prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit on them!”" An Old Testament parallel to John’s attempt to stop an outsider.
Mark 3:17: "James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he called them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder;" John’s fiery character.
1 Corinthians 3:4: "For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?" Group loyalty can divide believers.
Mark 9:39: "But Jesus said, “Don’t forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me.”" Jesus’ reply to John.
Conclusion: John told Jesus that the disciples had stopped a man who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name, because he did not follow their group. Their zeal was sincere but narrow, concerned with “us” more than with Jesus. Like Joshua in the wilderness, they wanted to forbid someone God was using. The verse warns believers against a party spirit and calls them to rejoice whenever the name of Jesus is honoured.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible